


We're At Home Here

by SunsetScomiche



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Crying, Depression, Explosions, Happy Ending, Hospitalization, Hugging, M/M, Mid-battle scene, Science Bros, Science Bros Week 2016, Self-Hatred, Self-Worth, Steve Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-26 11:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12057789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunsetScomiche/pseuds/SunsetScomiche
Summary: Yesterday, Bruce thought a spark had caused him to lose Tony. He'd been overcome with fury and overtaken by memories in deep, cold blue, but then a momentary memory had illuminated all he needed to know. Upon his arrival, he knows he is home.





	1. Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> ~Originally posted to celebrate Science Bros Week 2016 on [Wattpad](https://www.wattpad.com/story/77979458-we%27re-at-home-here) and [Tumblr](https://sunsetscomiche.tumblr.com/post/147546546430/were-at-home-here).~
> 
> Author's Notes: So, as I was trying to reign in all of my ideas for the amazing Science Bros Week, I realized that it would be easier if I did one whole story in sections that were based on each prompt. So, I will be posting each section of my story in the tag sciencebrosweek. Enjoy! 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for how sad this gets. But, I do feel like the characters behind Bruce Banner and Tony Stark are fundamentally flawed in ways that don't always get explored, so. 
> 
> Happy Science Bros Week! :)

_Quiet. Restraint. Pain._

A sharp intake of breath tells him more than he wants to know about the state of his lungs. The immediate clenching of his hands sends a pulse of hot, heavy pain down both of his arms. He closes his eyes harder at the sudden shock of overload and tries to think. _What happened?_

Noises and smells all mark the familiar territory: a S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital bed. _How did he get here?_

Steady curses over his memory reveal nothing. He looks around, searching for signs of what might have been. The only faint traces are on his clothing and remind him of Tony's suit. _Tony._

He closes his eyes once more and attempts to dig into his most recent memory stores.

A battle.

They had went into a battle. There hadn't been much blood. It was supposed to be routine. Everything had been fine, everything had gone according to plan, until... _What happened?_

He shook and growled as the thick restraints pulled on his wrists and reminded him of the pain. Calming himself, he knew that he had to let the healing happen. He breathed in one long, steadying breath. Slowly, he tried to relax.

Suddenly, the memory from the day before sent shockwaves through him and the nearby equipment sounded the alarm.

_Tony._

 


	2. Spark

_He remembered Tony._ Everything had been going fine until it had all gone horribly wrong.

Bruce had been watching the battle, monitoring the situation as the Hulk tore through oncoming attackers. Everyone had been safe. Widow had almost finished her half of the room while Cap gave the orders to move out. Hulk had brusquely turned to the side for one last smash, and Bruce had seen Clint on the balcony, pressing a final arrow against his bow.

Then, he'd seen Tony.

Firing on all cylinders, as usual, Tony had been right up against the core of the villain's energy. He'd claimed it was an attempt to cut their power source and end the fight, but Bruce could tell when Tony just wanted a closer look at someone's tech. Even Cap had warned him not to get too close. But, no one could have predicted what happened next.

Out of the Hulk's blind spot, a giant electrical wire flew towards the metal man. Bruce watched as it shot sparks in all directions and wrapped mercilessly around Tony's torso. He remembers how he was hit with an automatic urge to grab it and tear it away, but he'd shouted at the Hulk not to touch.

All eyes were on Tony then, and in that horrible few seconds, Bruce had thought he might escape it.

He was wrong.

Bruce wishes his memory would stop returning now as he recalls the calm in Tony's voice, even when projected through the suit. Thinking that the cord might power the suit, then realizing that it had shown all the signs of being the wrong current, watching JARVIS short-out, and wondering how he could have screwed up. They had all heard it in his voice.

But what no one had predicted was the spark that lit the flame. As Tony's suit whirred and reeled and tried to catch up to the effects of the giant coil, shocks of electricity flew everywhere. It had only taken one spark hitting the wire to light it all on fire.

Bruce had watched in horror as black and orange flames engulfed the suit, but then all he saw was darkness. 

 


	3. Fury

Part 1

Heat, black and thick, settles into every fiber of his cold, wretched skin. It takes form and shape there, then sinks into his veins and sends a direct attack on his heart. Most people think that his anger is always green. Instead, fury like a drug takes root in his body as a spiraling black mass.

It is in this state that he hears the door finally slide open. Black boots tap their arrival against the white tile floor while leather screeches across the room. Bruce snarls. As far as he is concerned, the director can wait.

As always, the man has other plans.

"Bruce," the director's voice echoes throughout the wide, dank room. "I see you're awake."

Bruce doesn't miss the sliding sounds of Fury's coat against the metallic gun perched at his side. His eyebrows rise in their own mild amusement.

"I didn't die, if that's what you're asking." Bruce is bristling on the edges and stark raving mad on the inside, the mortal cares of a S.H.I.E.L.D. director be damned.

"Glad to hear it," Fury seems incredulous at best. "But we're still going to monitor the situation. You... took a pretty bad hit. Not sure how well you're going to heal this time."

Out of disapproval, Bruce turns to stare at him. The director levels a glare in return.

He turns to leave the room, and just when Bruce thinks the door will shut behind him, he hears, "Just try not to get angry."

Bruce closes his eyes and thinks. A frown prances across his lips.

_Much too late for that._

Part 2

In his years as a runaway missile target, he had learned certain skills. Not the least of which was self-centering. When even the slightest stimulus could cause a rage, learning to deal with stress had become crucial. Back then, he had pinpointed every cause, highlighted the effectiveness of each of them, and created a strategy to divert his mind. Most often, he would dig deeper into himself to ignore it, finding a quiet calm to save himself from the raging beast.

Now, it came as little trouble for him to ignore the pain. Tossing the morphine drip aside, Bruce's head lolled back against the pillow as he closed his eyes and surrendered. Acidic green licked at his muscles in attempts to heal him from the inside. He usually ignored the feeling, hating the memory of his accident and the constant reminder that it was possible he might live forever. This time, however, he invited the feeling, allowing it to swell and his temperature to rise. It stung, having to heal in such slow, real time; writhing as the gamma did its work, re-connecting tissue and restoring functions, going deep and touching every part of him, sinew for sinew.

Turning away from it now, he looked toward the darkness inside him. It tore a hole into his chest, and as he stared, he sunk deeper and deeper into its void.

He is angry over what happened to Tony. But, anger doesn't even begin to cover it. What he feels is deeper, darker, and more visceral than that. He hates himself for what he has been, that has always been true, and everyone around him has always known. But more than that, he hates himself for what he hasn't done.

He hates that he was never able to become the scientist that he wanted, to experiment in meaningful fields and to find applicable solutions to world crises. In truth, being a doctor had been a hollow replacement for that.

He hates that for so long, he allowed himself to be the monster inside him, that he allowed his choices as a man to be dictated by what the Hulk wanted. He hates that he has never allowed anyone to feel safe in his presence, that everyone around him has been forced to develop a thick skin. Even though he has gained better friends for it, he hates it all the same.

And more than all of that, more than all of the hate he has buried against himself over the years, more than all of the pain it has caused him, what he feels now is darker and more paralyzing than all of it.

He had watched as Tony died, and he had done nothing to stop it.

What he feels is fury.

 


	4. Momentary

There was a moment, though hazy in his memory, when he had seen Tony.

He was kneeling down over Bruce's body, and he looked petrified, his eyes wide and deep, his chest lurching with every breath.

Bruce had looked down at his hands and had seen his own, human skin, completely flesh-colored in the ashy light. He had turned back to Tony, groaning incoherently as Tony's hands ran circles all over him, checking his scars and his pulse and trying to make sense of everything. He'd looked down and seen pieces of the suit scattered on the ground. Tony had ripped himself out of it, then. He coughed and tried to awaken as he felt himself sliding back into the black abyss, feeling as though his mind still had something else to tell him.

Then, Natasha and Thor were at Tony's side and saying things to him that Bruce couldn't understand. He seemed to resist as they pulled him away, but Bruce couldn't find the strength to talk to him, to tell him that it would be okay. He saw Clint with his hand to one ear, talking to someone. _Probably calling for help, then..._ But Bruce couldn't hear him either. He moaned helplessly as the clouds formed around his eyes and he watched his vision blur and darken.

He had blacked out just as Steve's arms had wrapped underneath him.

 


	5. Blue

Part 1

All around him, the screens and projections and holograms were lit with a soft blue glow, sending him signals and warnings, providing this data or that algorithm. His eyes pounced back and forth over each one as he read it, then either set it aside for later or slid it away. When he had all of the files compacted, he slid them into one succinct folder, and tossed it in Tony's direction as the man rounded the table toward him, smiling.

"So that's it, then? A bomb-resistant suit. It's brilliant. Can't believe I didn't think of it myself."

Bruce had smirked then. "That's because you have little to no regard for your own safety."

Tony had simply turned to him, hands cutting through the air around him with relaxed ease.

"What would I do without you?"

Bruce just hung his head and smiled.

    

Part 2

Crying wasn't something that Tony Stark did.

Not since his parents died, anyway. With the weight of the company on his shoulders and the eyes of the public on his back, Tony knew that crying was one weakness he could not afford.

But now, with Bruce dying and not a word from S.H.I.E.L.D., he simply couldn't help it. He had managed to make it to the lab that they normally shared before his shoulders slumped and his knees buckled, sending him into a puddled mass on the floor. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized that, stained with residue from sliding down his arc reactor, his tears were actually tinted blue.

    

Part 3

Incredulous as ever, Bruce levels his gaze at Steve as best he can.

But really, it's hard to be stoic when such honest, blue eyes are staring back and he's saying nothing but the truth; that life in the tower isn't so bad, that it's okay to feel safe around the rest of the team, that maybe, just maybe, Bruce can start to think about making a home again. He turns away from the Captain at even the thought of it. He hears Steve speaking, but he doesn't want to listen.

But, Bruce turns around because he recognizes the strain in that voice.

"Look, I- uh... I never really felt safe much of anywhere, you know? And Tony, he ain't the safest guy either, but- Bruce, you got a good home here."

Bruce sees the little turn of his lips, that quirk that forms on their very edges and sits there for the longest few seconds. He looks up and the blue in those eyes tells him everything he needs to know, that the good Captain is right. Bruce sighs in a way he hasn't since the gamma hit him.

It was ten full seconds and one small, awkward cough later when he realized that he had wrapped Captain America in a full-on bear hug.

    

Part 4

Stuttering as he tried to suck in any sort of air, Tony remembered why he didn't let himself cry. Not to prevent a show of weakness, but because he knew that if he ever started, he wouldn't be able to stop. That all of the hatred that he had piled up for himself over the years, all of the pain he had felt but never expressed, all of that compounded grief, would flood over him, and it would be unstoppable. Now, as he shakes with the heavy, chilling sobs, he is overtaken by the grief he feels for Bruce.

He wonders now, in this cold and quiet moment of horrid solitude, what he had done to make Bruce feel welcome. Had he ever done anything to show he cared, outside of poking him and prodding him and goading him on? He wonders, as he tries to scrape himself off of the floor, how Bruce had felt, constantly being the butt of Tony's jokes.

He remembers only now how Bruce had always shrunk away from social interaction; how he had always been more content to work alone in a corner than to relax on a couch beside his best friends. And was that ever what they were to him? _Friends?_   Tony doesn't remember a time when Bruce had admitted that, although he knows that Bruce had started to become more comfortable around them in due time. Of course, Tony hadn't been patient enough for that. His mind had needed answers, his curiosity had wanted to know just what it was like to be the giant green rage monster, how it felt to have your body chemically altered, what it meant to be more than a man.

Of course, Tony's insatiable curiosity had never paused for the man inside all of that science.

He wishes now, of all things, that he had.

He does remember, as he slides himself up against the cold lab counter, a time when Steve had come down into the labs. He'd worn a very perplexed and even troubled look on his face, and Tony had immediately asked,

"What's up?"

Steve had looked back at him for a moment, as if judging the situation, before he replied. "It's... Banner, he, uh- He hugged me."

Tony distinctly remembers dropping the tool he'd been holding and hearing it clang against his work station.

"What?"

"I- Well, I told him that he always had a place here, in- case he ever felt like leaving, and... He hugged me."

Tony is silent for a moment as he processes this new information.

"I don't understand it," Steve explains. "So I-"

"So you came down here to talk to me. Well," Tony piqued as he picked up his tools again. "Don't ask me, Rogers. He's a mystery. I could ponder that man all day and still never understand him."

Knowing he wouldn't find an answer here, Steve had simply smiled. "Something tells me you do."

Tony hadn't given him a second glance, mostly because he'd been right.

He sighs, leaning back against the counter and wondering where he had gotten so screwed up, thinking that he wasn't falling head first for this man.

"Wake up, Stark," he curses into the silent air.

He wonders if he ever knew that he loved Bruce, and just didn't do anything about it. A pain jumps through him that feels so much like a punch to the gut that he actually holds his hand over his stomach, and he knows that's what hurts the most. Even if he had loved Bruce, and even if he had known it, he'd never actually done anything about it.

    

Part 5

There is a sudden _crack_ in the air and it rumbles in his gut. The Hulk looks up and watches for a moment as the sky above him darkens, the clouds rolling over him in waves. His eyes dart to a nearby building, where he sees Thor launching himself into the air. Turning his gaze back to the ground, he smashes a few more heads in before the earth shakes beneath him. He looks up once more, and Thor's feet have landed on the pavement, just as his hammer meets with the foe before him. All at once, the Hulk's line of sight is saturated in blue sparks, the myriad sounds of lightning piercing his ears.

An attacker comes in on Hulk's right, but he is easily vanquished. It's times like these, when his team mates are showing their real might in battle, that another sort of feeling likes to stir in his gut. It's one that he hasn't felt since before the gamma took him, possibly even since college. Thor smiles up at him, the bright glowing light all around them, and call it cliché, but Bruce feels _worthy_. Not to pick up the hammer and have a field day, of course, but for once, he feels as though he belongs on this team; as if what he does matters, and not just to science or for hurting people, but for protecting them.

A shock runs through him, and Bruce thinks he can hear something beeping. The bright blue is fading, a cold darkness taking its place. He tries to fight it, but he struggles under the heavy bonds that S.H.I.E.L.D. has strapped him in. Faintly, his mind registers that they must have thought he would wake up evergreen, but the thought fades even faster than the blue light around him. He's sinking, but for the life of him, he can't force himself to wake up. 

 


	6. Illuminate

Part 1

And then there had been Tony. Always, around every corner, in every angle, Tony. Staring at him like he meant something and saying things that made him remember how it felt to really be human. Annoying him nearly to his breaking point with sharp objects and sparking toys, and even just his mouth. Even if it hadn't been for all the tech, that would have been enough. The constant quips about his mood, the jabs into Bruce's personal life, the endless probing for secrets that really were none of his business. Tony had been in every corner of his life ever since they'd met. And to think that now, he might not ever get to hear Tony asking him those questions, that he might not ever feel the shock traveling into his ribcage or the points pressing into his skin, that he might never _see_ Tony again, makes him fall desperate in a way that can only be clouded over by a sudden realization.

He is in love with Tony. He always has been. He doesn't know why, except that Tony has been a constant in his life that has both stabilized him and given him freedom. Tony had welcomed him into his home, had given him free reign in the lab, and had made every effort to ensure that Bruce felt comfortable and at home.

The green licks at his skin as the pain of loss creeps into him. He doesn't let it take over, vaguely aware that there may be S.H.I.E.L.D. agents present who could get hurt. Slowly, his eyes begin to open, and he turns his head to see that a pair of nurses has in fact entered the room. He looks down the length of his arm, and he can see how his veins are highlighted in a subtle limelight glow. He checks the monitors, and he is somewhat astonished by what he sees. Every reading is normal, even his heart rate. Apparently, the gamma has risen this close to the surface as he slept, and accelerated the healing process so much that he no longer feels pain. He looks over his body, and there are no bruises, no scratches, not even a papercut.

His head snaps back to the nurses as they cautiously move toward him, silent except for their shoes scraping against the tiles.

"I need to get to the tower."

    

Part 2

"Stark, there is nothing I can do for you right now, so _stop_ hacking into my secure systems."

Fury's voice is cold and calculated over the line, and Tony can hear that he's walking somewhere.

"Ah, first, they're not secure if I can hack into them, and second, there _is_ something you can do for me, you can tell me what the _fuck_ is going on with Bruce."

It may be a little more biting than he'd intended, but Tony really can't be bothered to care. One minute, he's thinking that Bruce is most likely dead all because of a spark flying from his suit, and the next, JARVIS is alerting him that somewhere on that helicarrier, he has a signal that Bruce is awake? Oh hell no.

He gets a sigh over the line that sounds more like contrived patience than anything else and Tony can't help but feel a swell of anger rising in his chest. He forces it down for Bruce.

"The only reason he's in here is you got a little too handsy with their tech. Now, do you want to keep attempting to control the situation, or-"

It goes silent save for the general buzzing of busy S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the background, and then Tony thinks he can hear someone talking to Fury. When the voice returns, and gives only a curt, "We're done here" before ending the call, Tony has to work very hard not to throw his phone across the room.

    

Part 3

Bruce has finally connected the dots of what happened the day before to the resistant suit he had built months ago. The realization that Tony could still be alive hit him like a ton of bricks as soon as he awoke. Whatever it takes, he'll be out of this hospital bed and at that tower as soon as he can. Fuck what Fury says when he comes in shouting orders that Bruce doesn't care to hear, and never mind all of the nurses and soon, the agents that try to hold him down. If Tony is alive, he'll be there to hug him the same way he hugged Steve, and this time, he'll never let go. 

 


	7. Arrival

Six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, two nurses, and one angry director.

The sum total of it doesn't weigh on Bruce's mind too much as he finally arrives on Tony's doorstep.

He is immediately let in, and he is greeted by one of the angriest and most desperate faces he has ever seen on Tony. When his eyes skip down to check that this is the actual Tony, actually breathing in front of him, and not some hologram, he feels all of the weight melt off his shoulders.

Tony, who has fallen still and silent, sighs as though he feels the same. Bruce notices that his eyes are lined with red as he watches a smile form across Tony's face.

"Bruce!"

Then, he is crossing the space between them, his arms outstretched.

Tony's body shakes with small sobs as he buries his face into the crook of Bruce's wide shoulder. He tries to hold them back, but he can't help it.

"Oh my god, I thought you were going to die," he manages to exhale.

Bruce leans back a bit, giving him a confused look.

Tony's eyes darken and he replies, "Damn Fury wouldn't tell us anything."

Bruce just nods and plants his face against Tony's neck once more.

Then, the memory of his sleep-addled realization comes back to him, and it causes him to stiffen in Tony's arms. He stutters, stepping back a little.

"Tony, I, uh- There's something... there's something I should tell y-"

Relieved wouldn't be a strong enough word for how Tony feels. He is ecstatic, he feels weightless, he feels whole. And all of those things are just small bits to describe what he is right now. So, when he leans forward and kisses Bruce in reply, before he can even finish his sentence, it's because he really just can't help it. With everything that's happened, he doesn't figure it matters all that much.

Of course, Bruce is surprised by the sudden contact, but he finds that he really can't do anything but smile and return the favor. His hands find Tony's waist, and he makes a mental note to get him to eat more, but then there's a familiar cough behind him. Bruce opens his eyes to find that Captain America is watching him, and smiling from ear to ear, even if his cheeks are a little pink.

Suddenly there is a swarm of love and smiles and hugs all around him as the team welcomes him home. Thor's thundering voice in his ear as he wraps Bruce into his arms is reassuring, and it spreads a calm over him. Natasha gives him a wink when she greets him, along with a sly, "Congratulations." He feels a blush creeping up onto his cheeks before Clint pulls him in for a manly hug too. Soon, Steve is walking up to him and extending a hand, then wrapping an arm tightly around his shoulders.

"Welcome home," he says into Bruce's ear. Bruce just holds him tighter for a moment.

Of course, Tony declares it a time for celebration, and Bruce just links his arm around Tony's waist as they all head toward the elevator.

Yes, he's at home here, and he never wants to leave.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Created as a fill for the prompts in Science Bros Week 2016. For more of SBW, including all of this year's content, click on over to [#sciencebrosweek](https://www.tumblr.com/search/%23sciencebrosweek) on tumblr. ;)


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